ON GUARD - Fraud Spotter #28 - Home Improvement Fraud
ON GUARD รป Fraud Spotter #28 - Home Improvement Fraud
By Laura Quarantiello
ยฎ 2004 Tiare Publications
290 words
Mail solicitations often take the form of offers for free home
inspections or low-cost repairs. These may look great on paper, but
the motive behind the proposal is often less than wonderful.
Dishonest home improvement companies prey on our unsuspecting nature
and our ignorance about construction matters. If you let an
inspector in to appraise your home for repairs, he will definitely
find several things which need attention. If you agree to the
repairs, they may be done quickly, using shoddy materials. You'll be
left holding the bag - and maybe the bucket under the leaking roof,
too! Protect yourself by always getting several estimates and
comparing the prices of several companies before you commit. Get
recommendations and check them. Dial your local Better Business
Bureau or consumer protection office and see if they have received
any complaints about that company. Also check with the state
licensing board to assure that the company is properly licensed and
bonded and is qualified to perform the required work. And always pay
with a check or credit card, never with cash.
And watch out for that termite inspector when he shows up to check
your basement or attic for these dreaded wood-eating mini-monsters.
A tried and true gimmick used by unscrupulous firms is to pull a
rotting, termite-infested board from under a coverall or toolbox.
Unless you crawled the spaces along with the inspector, you'll never
know that this board didn't come from your house.
Of course, you'll end up paying for costly pest extermination that
was never necessary. Such inspections are usually free so get a
second opinion or even a third if necessary. Take a look around
yourself; most of us can learn to identify pest problems on our own.
(End)
Laura Quarantiello hates criminals and the crimes they commit. Her
book "On Guard" can help you minimize the risk you family faces from
criminal elements. Get more information at:
www.tiare.com/onguard.htm
